Wests Tigers forward Elijah Taylor called on for advice on how to stop Penrith Panthers

Michael Chammas
Sports reporter

Elijah Taylor has spent the majority of this week informing Tigers players and coaching staff of the strengths and weaknesses of the men he called teammates just six weeks ago.

Taylor, who revealed the Panthers players were confused by his stint in NSW Cup, has been a prominent figure in the Tigers' video sessions this week as they prepare for Saturday night's clash with the team he was expected to captain this year.
After he was dumped to the NSW Cup for lacking the aggression that coach Anthony Griffin yearned for, Taylor has reignited his career at the Tigers after he was granted a release from Penrith.

While he believes a premiership is around the corner for the Panthers, he has been called on to plot the demise of his former teammates with Tigers coach Jason Taylor asking for tips on how to topple his old club.

"I'm giving everything I can into the influence of the game plan," Taylor told Fairfax Media. "There's some discussions with the teammates and our attacking coach and defensive coach. The different thing about this week is watching video on them. That's a bit different. But I'm just giving them tips. They're still very young but they are so dangerous the way they play.

"They like to keep the ball alive and it's just so hard to defend, especially when they start getting the offloads away. The young kids are so talented and you have to prepare for anything when you take on blokes with such freakish talent. They've had a very tough pre-season under Anthony Griffin, but the results are starting to show. They'll definitely be in the top four by the end of the season."

While Taylor is disappointed to have left the Panthers, he insists he left on good terms. He had the full support of the playing group, who were equally mystified as to why he wasn't in the NRL team.

"They were a bit confused themselves about me playing reserve grade," Taylor said. "They were asking me what's going on. But they were very supportive and very encouraging. They were telling me to keep my head up."

The former Warriors forward didn't get the chance to say his goodbyes to teammates, leaving the club while he was on representative duty during the bye week. But his biggest regret is not being able to play a major part in what turned out to be his final few months at the club.

"It was the bye week and I was away on NSW Residents camp, so I couldn't say anything face-to-face because I wasn't there," Taylor said.

"I just sent them a message on the Whatsapp group. They knew the position I was in and fully understood my reasons for moving and supported it 100 per cent. I still live out there and still catch up with them. I knew I was going to see them again. But I just regret I couldn't contribute because I wasn't playing first grade."

The former Warriors forward didn't get the chance to say his goodbyes to teammates, leaving the club while he was on representative duty during the bye week. But his biggest regret is not being able to play a major part in what turned out to be his final few months at the club.

"It was the bye week and I was away on NSW Residents camp, so I couldn't say anything face-to-face because I wasn't there," Taylor said.